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Thursday, September 15, 2016

Well, here we are the middle of September, and I am just now getting around to posting a couple of new paintings that are ready to go. I have more that I have done since my last post, and will be posting them soon. I've come to the conclusion that it is a good thing I am a painter because I sure seem to avoid or just plain forget about posting something new on a regular basis. Sort of defeats the purpose of this blog, so I guess I better work on my time management and discipline for tending to this.

I have been switching to painting on Ray Mar canvas panels which I re-prime with a white lead ground made by Natural Pigments. I really like working on these panels prepared this way. In the past I had been mounting Claussens linen to Dibond aluminum panels. But since I don't seem to work as quickly as I have in the past, I am always looking for a more efficient way to use my time without raising the cost of my materials. Using these panels and preparing them as I do has meant only a very slight increase in cost to pay for the Natural Pigments ground. Although, I make up for that in preparation time. I can prep 20 panels of various sizes in about 2 hours, instead of taking a full day to do a dozen panels the old way. Drying time is longer, but I just prepare a variety of sizes at one time ahead of when I actually need them. Doing it this way, so far I have not run out of panels to paint on in the sizes I want. With the exception of a special commission piece, that needs to be a specific size, I don't imagine I will be in need of panels to work with. As a famous burger joint advertises, "I'm lovin' it!"

One of the nice things about living here is so many things are right off the many Farm to Market Roads winding through the Texas Hill Country and surrounding areas. This especially helps old guys like myself who don't get around as well as we used to. I found both of these paintings just a short ways distance from each other. The light was good and the subjects cooperated. So here we are, two 9"x12" oils on panels and being brand new where you can still smell the varnish are available from my studio which you can contact me here or my Facebook page, John Cox Fine Art, for more information on these. I hope you like them.

Monday, June 6, 2016

A Bunch of Small Paintings

I guess it is about time I posted something new after promising to keep this blog updated, so here we go.

Last month I went to a fun show and presentation at the Coppini Academy of Fine Arts in San Antonio, Texas. I was greeted as I walked up to the entrance I was greeted by artist and director of the Coppini Academy, Tony Pro. A gentleman and very fine artist I have been wanting to meet. Tony is revitalizing this fine academy. Not only is he teaching, but he is also bringing in top working artists to teach workshops. I hope this will inspire artists and patrons of the fine arts and contemporary realism to support these arts again. When I left San Antonio over 40 years ago there were good galleries showing realism of all styles and subjects. Today, there is one and it is almost an after thought since it is so small. The most established gallery here no longer shows new work by local and national artists that they used to. They buy art from art dealers who sell foreign artists. This gallery used to represent my work when I lived here and I consider the owner a friend. Now this is not meant as a knock or attack against these two galleries in a city of 2.3 million people. I understand a large part of this is the economy. The entire country is in these same doldrums. But I also feel there has been a lack of support or promotion for realism in this area. I am not sure why this is as I have yet to find places or groups of artists where they share what they are experiencing, talk about the art world and maybe what we as a group of artists can do to help the situation. Best I can find, so far is artists in the area are so spread out it is hard to get together without traveling some distance.

There are several good and nationally known galleries in Fredricksburg, Texas, Ensight, Whistle Pik, and RS Hanna Gallery and 70 miles north of San Antonio in the Texas Hill Country. I do not mean to leave any gallery out that may be there, I just am not aware of who the others are there or what or who they carry.

There is also one more nationally known and quality gallery in Wimberly, Texas, Pitzer's Fine Arts, roughly 50 miles north east of San Antonio and about half way to Austin. So far I do not know what Austin has for quality galleries. I understand the Gallery At Shoal Creek is still open, but I do not know what artists they carry today. A road trip is in order very soon to investigate what is happening in these areas, if anything. I will be taking a good selection of paintings with me after calling ahead to make sure owners are available and when it will be a good time to show them my work as I need to get a good gallery representation for my work in this area.

Now for something a little more positive. Not to say I meant the previous statements as negative, but a statement of fact and trying to figure out where best to look.

Lately, I have been painting a lot, and most are small paintings. I am also painting to sizes of frames I have on hand for the larger paintings. This studio has little space for storing frames and supplies and I could use the room being used for this storage. All of these small pieces are without frames. All of the 6x8's are priced at $400 each. The first landscape is $900 and the last flower piece in this post is $950.
So I guess I should stop babbling and show you some of what I have been doing. All of these paintings are available, unframed from my studio as mentioned. Contact me here in the comments or on Facebook. I have larger paintings also and will be posting them shortly.

I hope you enjoy these.

"The Meadows Edge"

12x8 oil on linen panel

"A Rose"

6x8 oil on linen panel

"Pink Rose"

6x8 oil on linen panel

"Hedgehog Blossom"

6x8 oil on linen panel

"White Rose"

6x8 oil on linen panel

This is a study I did for a larger painting. It is also a 6x8 oil on a linen panel

"Garden Color"

12x9 oil on linen panel

This painting was posted in my last entry to this blog. It has not been shown anyplace since, but hung on the studio wall. I did think it needed a new title, so I changed it. So there you have the small paintings, most hot off the easel. I am also working on some drawings I think many will enjoy and those will be posted in the near future. It has been a long time since I did black and white drawings as finished pieces. I have felt the need to do some drawings as I firmly believe that drawing is the foundation of good painting. Sure, I draw with paint and brushes when making a painting as we all do, that paint, but this is different, this is truly seeing one's subject and recording it accurately with line and values.

Many changes are coming in my work as I feel more confident, with a looser application of paint.I hope you do like what I am beginning to do. I have wanted to paint looser for years, but gallery and some collectors pressures kept me doing what I had been. The change will not be that radical, just looser. Stay tuned. More to come

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Changes Redux

Finally! I am
settled here in Texas, and painting again. The downtime was very
frustrating for me as I am the type of person who approaches my art
the way most people approach a job. It is a “job” that I love,
but a job in the sense that I am always doing something to produce
new paintings. So not being able to prepare canvases or gather new
subject material during my relocation was very frustrating and
stressful.

One thing you will
notice is my subject matter is different in many cases. I am still
doing landscapes, but they are smaller pieces and in a secondary
position, so to speak. The change is the result of, and reason for my
move as health issues have limited my ability to get out in the
desert, mountains and such to paint and photograph fresh material and
the inspiration for new paintings. Here in the Texas Hill country,
there are many rural farm to market roads which provide me with great
scenes to paint, and all right off the side of the road or at least
with easy access for me. Since I won't be doing big canvas panoramas
anymore, this works very well for smaller more intimate landscapes.
But as I said, they will be taking a backseat to my studio work.

In the studio I can
set up still lifes, hire and pose models. You will be seeing more
florals, still lifes, and figurative These first postings are only a
few of what I have completed, but I will be photographing more
paintings as I finish them. There is much more on the easel, so stay
tuned.

One last comment, I
have a “blog” on Tumblr.com, John Cox Fine Art. It is primarily
art that I personally like. Some old some new. It also has some of my
own paintings starting today. (March 9, 2016) There is also an online
gallery handling my figurative work on Tumblr, Wilson Art Sales. Is
where to find them.

And now that I have finished babbling, here is my new work. I hope you enjoy it.